Thanks for the tip! (drunk audience story)

lbpark · #1 08-04-2007, 02:53 AM

It's really late, and I'm really tired, but I thought I'd share this funny story w/ the TB community before I forget the details. I just returned from a gig in Pascagoula at a bar we play at a few times a month. The crowd is usually pretty responsive and tip pretty decent. We'll usually get about 30-50 bucks in tips at this bar.

So tonight, we had an opening band that played til 11:30. We finished our first set and were getting everything ready for the second set. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this guy throw something on the stage. I walked over to see what it was.....and it's a $100 bill.

This guy was with a group of incredily drunk people who were there to play pool, but apparently really enjoyed the band. So after he throws the first bit of money on stage, our new guitar player and I decide to goof off a bit while the singer adjusts her amp. So we play about the first 2 min. of Schism, a rare opportunity considering we're an 80-90% originals band. $100 bill guy freaks out and starts throwing money on stage.

All throughout the 2nd set, he keeps flashing hundreds in front of us and says he'll give them to us if we play one Tool song......wow. So I start playing The Pot, and the drummer and singer keep refusing to play. This didn't sit well with me because I know the drummer is good enough to improvise something in front of these drunk people. I realize that I'm the only person on stage who knows how to play Tool, but for an extra 300 bucks, I'll play the whole damn 10,000 Days album if he wants.

Regardless, as the night progressed he continued to throw money at us until he was all tapped out. And that, my fellow TBers, is why I love playing in front of drunk people who tip.

At the end of the night, it was a cool $450 in tips alone.

AdlerAugen · #2 08-04-2007, 03:02 AM

Hahahaha I love that guy already....I wish we could all get those drunks instead of the beer throwin drunks. Luckily I've never met a drunk at a gig (never gigged) and only met the passed out drunks and the funny drunks.

ManuelJG · #3 08-04-2007, 03:59 AM

i´m drunk... ya want some beer?

TheDarkReaver · #4 08-04-2007, 06:54 AM

ooh i have yet to come across money throwing drunks...fingers crossed for the future.

The_D · #5 08-04-2007, 08:06 AM

Not on the same level but...

We played a little local pub one night. Y'know the bar owner is such a skin flint that he wont pay and makes us charge at the door. Anyway I watched one guy sit at the bar all night tapping his foot. Never saw him smile or dance or anything.

At the end of the night he hands Adam (lead Guitard) another £20 on top of the £2 he paid to get in anyway. Adam was trying to give him change but he wasnt having it.

LumpyGravy · #6 08-05-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbpark

It's really late, and I'm really tired, but I thought I'd share this funny story w/ the TB community before I forget the details. I just returned from a gig in Pascagoula at a bar we play at a few times a month. The crowd is usually pretty responsive and tip pretty decent. We'll usually get about 30-50 bucks in tips at this bar.

So tonight, we had an opening band that played til 11:30. We finished our first set and were getting everything ready for the second set. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this guy throw something on the stage. I walked over to see what it was.....and it's a $100 bill.

This guy was with a group of incredily drunk people who were there to play pool, but apparently really enjoyed the band. So after he throws the first bit of money on stage, our new guitar player and I decide to goof off a bit while the singer adjusts her amp. So we play about the first 2 min. of Schism, a rare opportunity considering we're an 80-90% originals band. $100 bill guy freaks out and starts throwing money on stage.

All throughout the 2nd set, he keeps flashing hundreds in front of us and says he'll give them to us if we play one Tool song......wow. So I start playing The Pot, and the drummer and singer keep refusing to play. This didn't sit well with me because I know the drummer is good enough to improvise something in front of these drunk people. I realize that I'm the only person on stage who knows how to play Tool, but for an extra 300 bucks, I'll play the whole damn 10,000 Days album if he wants.

Regardless, as the night progressed he continued to throw money at us until he was all tapped out. And that, my fellow TBers, is why I love playing in front of drunk people who tip.

At the end of the night, it was a cool $450 in tips alone.

F'n A! I'd like to play at that bar. I'd play Tool and A perfect Circle in the nude for that green!

smaynor · #7 08-06-2007, 11:31 AM

We once had a guy tip us $70.....while we were setting up. Later that night during our gig, I bet he bought another $40-50 in drinks for the band. I don't drink, but I accepted them anyway and hid them behind my amp. Bet I had 6 beer bottles behind there by the end of the night.

We usually range from $75-150 in tips for the night, but our best was at a local country club gig a few months back. Made an additional $370 in tips that night.

rockwarnick · #8 08-06-2007, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smaynor

I don't drink, but I accepted them anyway and hid them behind my amp. Bet I had 6 beer bottles behind there by the end of the night.

You should have given them to some girl and told her you were buying them for her.

smaynor · #9 08-06-2007, 12:02 PM

I don't think my wife, who happens to be the lead singer, would have liked that a whole lot!

LumpyGravy · #10 08-06-2007, 08:11 PM

My band got a $100 tip to play War Pigs. That was after he bit the heads off of 2 dead quail!

rusty66 · #11 08-09-2007, 07:04 PM

A drunk guy flashed a $50 note in my face once and said its yours if you can play Achy breaky heart. I did a real average job of it and he was so impressed, he gave me $100.00 Thank you Billy Ray!

BTW he was the only person of about 200 people who was on the dance floor during that song!

Cheers
Rusty

Jimmyplaysabass · #12 08-10-2007, 10:35 PM

the only thing i ever got was a beer bottle over the head from a drunk who assumed that the song i was singing was about him. i won that fight btw

turns out the squire is a mighty fine bat.

heroincredible · #13 08-14-2007, 05:45 PM

The only 'tip' we've ever gotten, or at least I've gotten was some drunk guy saying "Would you look at that! A god coming to drink among us mere mortals" when I went back to talk to my sister/friends after our set.

bopeuph · #14 08-14-2007, 09:28 PM

I used to play in the FSU Marching Chiefs. After games, we would go around the tailgaters and play school songs or whatever else for money.

Some drunk frat boy pulled out a hundred and asked us to play Dixie. I can't remember if we got it that day or not, but I remember the guys trying to get us to jump through more hoops and one of my friends with a short temper looked like he was about to kill. Good times.

Nick